Ridgecrest Blvd. widening a go

Wednesday

Oct 30, 2013 at 1:21 PM

By Jack BarnwellCITY EDITORjbarnwell@ridgecrestca.com

City Manager Dennis Speer announced to the Measure L Citizens Oversight Committee on Monday that Ridgecrest has received the funding to move forward with a reconstruction of West Ridgecrest Boulevard. "The California Transportation Commission approved the $6.2 million needed for us to do West Ridgecrest Blvd," Speer said. The funding was approved on Oct. 8 in Modesto.The construction, scheduled tentatively for late March or early April of 2014, will stretch from China Lake Boulevard to Mahan Street. Speer said he expects the it to take two weeks to select a consultant to move ahead with the construction."We want to get them busy because we want to start advertising the project in January and give a 45-day notice for the bids to come in," Speer said. The project will widen West Ridgecrest from Downs to Mahan, while China Lake Blvd. to Downs will remain two lanes.The $6.2 million comes from money secured through the Kern Council of Governments, and has been on the list for at least eight years.